No Turning Back

You know the song that goes, "I have decided to follow Jesus/ I have decided to follow Jesus/ I have decided to follow Jesus/ No turning back, no turning back." Each verse of this song concludes with the refrain, "No turning back, no turning back." The point the song-writer made was, when we begin following Jesus, there are no "U-turns." We can't turn back from following Him. Jesus said it this way, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" Luke 9:62. While for those who truly know the Lord there is no turning back, some who professed to know Him and who began following did turn back and followed Him no more.

We find a group like this at the end of John 6. To understand this text, we need to understand who "the disciples" are in this text. There may have been as many as four groups of people involved in this discussion with Jesus. (1) First, there was the hungry group who were looking for a free lunch. (2) Another group, called "the Jews" appear in verse 41. (3) Third, we find a group called "disciples." (4) Finally, we discover "the Twelve" in verses 67-71. Our Lord here outlined the difference between professing disciples and real disciples. He does this by showing us those who turn away and those who stay.
I. The False Disciples Who Turned Away (v. 60-66)
II. The True Disciples Who Stayed (v. 67-71)